Canon EOS M50 Review

Introduction

The Canon EOS M50 (EOS Kiss M in Asia) is an entry-level mirrorless camera that features an electronic viewfinder, fully articulating touchscreen, single control dial and a 24MP APS-C sensor – the same used by its M-series siblings. It has Canon's latest DIGIC 8 processor and offers expanded Dual Pixel AF coverage, 4K/24p video capture (with a 1.7x crop) as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.

In a lot of ways it's a beefier, viewfinder-sporting M100, the brand's most affordable M-mount offering. And it will likely appeal to the same crowd: beginners and/or those stepping up from a smartphone as their primary photography device. But what's really exciting about the M50 is what it might indicate about future developments in EOS M and Rebel-series cameras.

Key Features:

24MP APS-C CMOS sensor

EF-M lens mount with support for EF/EF-S lenses with optional adapter

Dual Pixel autofocus for stills and 1080p video

DIGIC 8 processor

2.36M-dot OLED EVF

1.04M-dot vari-angle LCD

7.4 fps burst in AF-C (10 fps in AF-S)

4K/24p UHD video (1.7x crop)

1080/60p and 720/120p HD video

Wi-Fi and NFC with Bluetooth

235 shot-per-charge battery live (per CIPA)

One year ago, we met with Canon executives in Yokohama, Japan – you can read the full interview here. At the time, they promised the brand's main strategic focus going forward would be connectivity and video. The M50 is a clear indication that Canon is making good on that promise. This is the first Canon camera that will automatically send photos to your smartphone after each shot and the first M-series to offer 4K. But before you get too excited about that latter bit, it's worth noting that 4K comes with a heavy 1.7x crop, and Dual Pixel AF is not available in 4K (contrast detection AF is available).

The M50 is the first Canon to use the new CR3 Raw format

Dual Pixel AF can be used in all other video modes, including 1080/60p. It still covers 80% x 80% of the sensor but now with 99 selectable points (up from 49 on previous M cameras). And with certain lenses (18-150mm, 28mm macro and 55-200mm) that coverage increases to 88% x 100% with 143 points.

The M50 is the first Canon to use the new CR3 Raw format, which has an updated compression option called C-Raw (compressed full resolution, rather than the downsized 'Small' and 'Medium' Raw formats).

Other new features include an Eye Detection mode, only available in AF-S, as well as a new silent shooting scene mode. The M50 also has a new gyro sensor that communicates movement to the lens-based IS system for better shake compensation, as well as dual Sensing IS (using data from the image sensor to compensate for shake when shooting stills or video).

Compared to...

Though the M50 is an entry-level camera, it's priced a bit higher than a lot of other entry-level offerings. Below we've compared it to some of its Canon peers as well as similar-priced mirrorless cameras.

Canon M50

Canon M100

Canon M6

Panasonic G85

Sony a6300

Fujifilm X-T20

MSRP w/lens

$900

$600

$900

$1000

$1150

$1000

Resolution

24MP

24MP

24MP

16MP

24MP

24MP

Sensor size

APS-C

APS-C

APS-C

Four Thirds

APS-C

APS-C

Stabilization

Lens IS + digital

Lens IS

Lens IS

Sensor + lens IS

Lens IS

Lens IS

EVF

2.36M-dot

No

No

2.36M-dot

2.36M-dot

2.36M-dot

AF system (live view)

Dual Pixel w/121 points*

Dual Pixel w/49 points

Dual Pixel w/49 points

Depth from Defocus

Hybrid AF w/425 PDAF points

Hybrid AF w/91 PDAF points

LCD

3" fully-articulating

3" tilting

3" tilting

3" fully-articulating

3" tilting

3" tilting

Number of control dials

1

1

3

2

2

2

Touchscreen

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Burst speed (with AF)

7.4 fps

4 fps

7 fps

6 fps

11 fps

8 fps

Video

4K/24p

1080/60p

1080/60p

4K/30p

4K/30p

4K/30p

Wireless

Wi-Fi + NFC + BT

Wi-Fi + NFC + BT

Wi-Fi + NFC + BT

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi + NFC

Wi-Fi

Battery life

235 shots

295 shots

295 shots

320 shots

400 shots

350 shots

USB charging

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dimensions (mm)

116x88x59

108x67x35

112x68x45

128x89x74

120x67x49

118x83x41

Weight

387 g

302 g

390 g

505 g

404 g

383 g

* with select lenses

As you can see, the M50 stacks up quite nicely compared to other offerings at this price point, though battery life is the one area where it falls behind a bit.

Pricing and availability

The Canon EOS M50 is priced at $780 body-only in either black or white. It also ships in a variety of kits, including with the EF-M 15-45mm for $900, as well as with both the EF-M 15-45mm and EF-M 55-200mm for $1250.

Comments

Re-reading this review and it's a shame that such a solid entry-level still photography camera got a low score for video. I really feel like these reviews should have seperate stills and video scores for the two kinds of enthusiast.

I've bought this camera from December 2018 and I have been using it since then, I'm satisfied with the camera despite it's price, size, weight & performance. But one thing that I don't like about it is that if i have to fit EF lenses, I will need to get an adapter but that wouldn't be an issue. I'm looking forward to get the Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens for my M50 because it gives a more wider image.

If the crop factors are true, then the M50 doesn't have 4k video = 8.3 megapixels. Instead you get 7.0 megapixels (when crop factor = 1.7) simply upscaled to 8.3 megapixels. The used sensor area is approximately the same as 16:9 from a 1" sensor.

The Canon EOS R was released recently, and it has an 1.8 crop, too, which may not be a big drama, since with its FF sensor, 40% of the sensor area is large enough for decent 4K video, it's almost S35 size. Here, in the case of M50 applying the same logic, the 40 - 50% sensor area is used for 4K video, which is nearly as large as a micro 4/3 camera sensor area, but definitely as large as a 1" camera, which is not bad for a $600 camera, I guess. The real pain however, that dual pixel doesn't work with 4K, this makes this camera (almost) totally useless for 4K video, honestly. I am wondering if the $2500 Canon EOS R has the same limitation? Does it support dual pixel video AF in 4K video?

DPAF in all modes on the EOS R... Loving my EOS R! I haven't found wireless connectivity on my EOS R to be as good as they're describing on this budget M50 so I wonder if I'm just not setting it up correctly.

I am now proud owner of Canon M50. I also like Sony A6500 but cannot pay 1.5K. I dont do much video , has couple of old Canon Lens , M50 works for me. Very light, compact. Only complain is sensor is not covered by mirror or anything, While changing lens, I mistakenly touched sensor. Canon Support says send it for service. They dont recommend me to clean. Though no affect in pictures.

I recall in the M5 review there was a lag noted if the shutter wasn't pressed halfway first, making quick grab candids difficult. Has this lag been addressed in the M50 or does it have the same problem?

Its extreme. The review is lukewarm at most and DPR video scoring is bordering on rediculous. While the sales figures after a few months for this camera are skyhigh. In Europeanen Japan at least. Hundreds of very positive professional bloggers. Thousands of very positive users. And not only starters. For experienced up to semipro users the 4K canon is a revelation. With the ef-m adapter the possibilities are endless. And thats WITH perfect AF, IS and general handling. Very much unlike the so-so experience other milcs have with the ef-efs lenses. Within a month there will be ef-m speedboosters and before december there will be 4 or 5 new ef-m lenses. Consider this: whats not to like? Oh wait, its a Canon. We can always find a way to nitpick it to death. In the end its the world wide sales figures that really count. Say what?

4 months highest selling mirrorless in Japan. Wait! Its a Canon. Cant be that good! Must be something else. Loyal stupid buyers or something hideous like it. Must be all stupid olde skool grey haired sad Canon shooters. Or.. perhaps the first classic review sites were waaayyyy of the mark. No need to point who these are. We all know it. Ik shooting with it bod and in my subjective opinion it is a winner! BTW, there are hundreds of video reviews that are over the top in superlatives. Oh well that are just some practical and experienced shooters that earn their hard money from vlogging. What do they know?!

Yeap it's a Canon, will have a lot bigger score if it will be a Sony, I used my M10 before the arrival of my M50 and I was surprised by it, I am very happy about the M50, for sure I am still using my 5D Mk3, but if Canon get even better with the M models, I may sell my big gears keeping my big lenses that all work perfectly with the adapter, even with my Lensbabies.

I was interested in purchasing this camera on the back of the dual focus pixel performance as i want a fast focusing camera in a small and light body, so i can focus on framing, purely for hobbyist use BTW, not pro, the lack of sharpness is a deal breaker for me. whilst not for pro use i want sharp footage, not bothered about 4k even. Just good quality 1080p. So the have listened to their users but not understood what they were saying. Maybe next iteration will be the one. I am in no hurry.

actually looks like I made a mistake in taking the writers word for it. just been comparing the raw at 100% to my nikon d5300, and the canon looks better to my eyes, sharper, even though the nikon has no AA filter it looks softer. Hmm.

The M50 is a great camera, as a Pro who used big gears for the past 10 years, it's great to have a travel camera that can use all my Canon lenses and do the work perfectly, cannot wait to see the next generation of M Canon Camera.

Hi Diane, Thanks for the reply, I have looked at ththe m50 again, and it was a contender until I saw the RP, its great to get an end users input on it as a camera, so its probably the one actually, as it looks like my full frame dream is in tatters. The dual focus pixel feature is a major advantage for the way I will be shooting. I am using the nikon D600 at mo with 28mm AIS f2.8, phenomenal results on a tripod, but useless for my workflow handheld.

The way your will be shooting... stills or video? What kind of situations?

I think the take home of the RP is that it is the same as the 6DII in terms of sensor (IQ, low light, DR etc). If you are good with the 6DII type quality than the RP is great for you. However, personally I find that canon no longer has a good excuse to use sensors with the DR of the 6DII/6D bodies especially since all other bodies have on-board ADC.

On the other hand... you buy into a system. So regardless of the more limited DR of the RP sensor, if I was budget limited I would get it and invest in the RF lenses, with the knowledge that eventually I would upgrade the RP to whatever mkII comes out.

They mean to represent the DOF and the FoV in terms of FF. Light values doesn't change. For Eg., when using the 50mm at f2 on APS-C, it gives an equivalent/similar DOF and FoV with 85mm shot at f2.8 on FF, i.e, when framed to get the similar angle.

If you calculate the focal length equivalent, don't you want to know the aperture-size equivalent too? You can't just convert focal length if you want to compare other characteristics beyond field-of-view.The f-number is largely irrelevant in cameras that can change sensitivity on the fly (without having to exchange film rolls). But you're right, they should stop converting f-number and just state aperture diameters, i.e. a 50mm f2 on APS-c has the same aperture diameter as a 85mm f2.8

It does; accessible in the 'scene modes' menu. Unfortunately the only exposure controls you get are 'brightness' in the Quick menu; no aperture or shutter speed control. Also, rolling shutter could be a problem.

Canon is testing mirrorless market with Canon EOS M50. Nikon is full bore steam ahead with full-frame Mirrorless, of course, this is only a rumor. Nikon stopped development of DL series P&S, to the consternation of many, because it cannot afford it I just wonder if Nikon got money to fund development of full-frame mirrorless.

Full Frame Mirrorless will be another DL series in the waiting ... TO BE STOPPED ... SOON ...

Love this camera. compared to my 5D4 its a step back in ergonomics, but the IQ is great (i just sold my 80D) and the controls, while limited, are just enough for real world use. No need for all the bells and whistles that the top end bodies have but no one really uses on a daily basis. Big downside is the connectivity. It works well when it works, but when it does it can take almost 40 mins and a full camera reset to get going again. Poor programming on Canon’s part. Hoping this will change.

Shoulds point out I have no need for any video features and dont ‘Vlog’. Purely shoot stills.

I'm also loving my M50, even more since I got the 22mm to go with it. It's easily the best "daily-driver" I've ever owned. I don't agree about the ergonomics though. They do present difficulties but I think more so for folks like us who are used to toting around big SLR's. If this was your first or second real camera you'd be amazed at the control. Anyway, it's tiny. There's only so much you can do with that.

there is nothing exclusively LV-Only tech about EVFs (an extension of LV)LV is always a subset capability of dual-capable OVF+LV dSLRs (2005)LV is always a subset capability of dual-capable OVF+LV dcams (pre-2000)

EVF is ONLY a variation VF on strictly mono-capable LV-Only dcams

no one is saying adding EVF Ocular option is undesireablewhat is important is having it all, is viable, and strictly a variant add-on(no new tech is involved; just adding old tech from cine/videocam era)

The Canon M50 is an ARRGGGG camera. Canon said they listened to their customers. But the problem is they don't realize they are also DEAF to their customers. So they came out with a bizarro camera like the M50. Sony (Minolta) is SO FAR AHEAD of Canon, it isn't even funny. Sony can do 4K with the A6500/A6300 and focus at the same time. Why can't Canon? Canon's processors are antiquated compared to the competition - Panasonic and Sony. If anything, Canon should have simply improved on the M5 and gave it more dual-pixels for focus and 4K at 30fps if not 60 fps. But no. Deaf.

Do you own any Canon M cameras? For the intended audience they do the job. Canon has always been behind in tech, even back in the Minolta days, yet Sony/Minolta still have not grown in ILC marketshare in the last 10 years.

Furthermore, saying that a camera "does it's job" for its intended audience and that the brand has basically always been inferior isn't really a rousing defence. Marianco is criticizing the camera. You didn't offer a rebuttal.

Going back in time a bit there 9935 to try and prove a non point - I’m afraid Trungtran is correct in his assessment....additionally It’s funny how if Canon has ‘always been inferior’ they manage to achieve market leadership - so don’t really agree with Trungtran there! In terms of a rebuttal at the new price point (bought one a few days ago in UK for £570 inc lens) what is the competition? Alpha 6000 - good cam but a bit past it - or the new Fuji with even worse 4K...The M50 is going to sell lots at this price - and whining about the 4K implementation is nonsense as it’s fine for vloggers and filming the kids and not intended to produce cinematic quality! Mind you neither are your much more expensive alpha 7 series toys....

wow the GH3 still beats it in 1080 video quality what were canon thinking, maybe its an adapter thing

still a decent holiday camera to carry around, although I would pick Sony over this they have everyone else beaten in the mirrorless market especially given theres enough adapters out there to use canon glass etc etc (and the new Sigma art range should be very nice)

How is it that you know what target audience I’m part of from my single comment about your horrendous writing skills?

It’s obvious you’re the one who needs to calm down - you’re aimlessly ranting on here left and right like a caffeinated toddler. And you can’t handle the slightest criticism.

Also your comment down below about aps-c lenses giving shallower depth-of-field when the sensor size is the same dimension is blatant ignorance. You should post less spam and educate yourself more thoroughly. Your ego is ultra-bloated.

I see you keep commenting on how (in your deluded mind) people appreciate your commentary as if it is informative or valuable when all you do is rant and copy/paste random statistics. Anyone would be better off just visiting the B&H site and checking specs since they are at least organized logically.

@TerkwoizSo many people have told this ignorant loser about his failures.

- He pretends to know the real-life capabilities of cameras he has never touched.- He posts wrong numbers with 5 or 6 numbers after the decimal seperator to make them look accurate- He struggles to use punctuation or proper formatting- He makes unrealistic predictions about future camera systems (usually by Canon)- He claims that Einstein was wrong and that black holes do not exist because he found some naive nutjob theory online that his simple mind can better "understand"- When people call him out for his clueless statements he takes that as proof that he is correct (a serious sign of mental illness)

All in all he is an ignorant loser who lives in the delusion that his wishful thinking can bend reality. This reality however consists only of people continiously debunking his non-sense.

"We speculate that the soft 4K and drop in quality when using digital IS is due to the camera sampling a smaller area of the sensor and then scaling it back up. For example, at 4K with standard IS the M50 might be sampling an area roughly 3430 pixels wide, and then scaling it back up to 3840 pixels. Just like with a still image, you can't make something from nothing, so video quality drops. Even with all IS off, the 1.7x crop factor suggests the M50 is only reading 3530 pixels across for 4K video, which explains the softness of the 4K footage to begin with."

whilst EOS M50 is forthose who are interested in actual Cinematic (movie making) shooting with a better trained steadier hand, or platform (tripod), or rig (gimbal)

no serious Cinema Camera uses "jiggly-sensor" IBISand it's more logical for I.S. for CineCams be purely LENS based OISONLY OIS:allows for the shooter to SEE BOTH OVF+EVF (LV) TTL OIS "in-sync" SIMULTANEOUSLY

any use of mechanically driven sensor-shift for IBIS, will ONLY be useful for "LV-Only" (old) "mirrorless-only" cinecams.adding OVF would mean EVF with IBIS will SUFFER "out of sync" framingOVF showing one fov, EVF showing a "shifted" (mis-aligned) fov

-m43 have tonnes of native large aperture lens available where the fastest EOS-M lens is 22mm/f2; become more overwhelming if counting adapted options, combinations like speed booster + sigma 18-35/1.8 is extremely popular with equivalent dof IF NOT BETTER than 2.54x crop M.

Ok, the award system is officially dead and buried. This camera is over two years late to the party and does not meet the quality or features of other cameras in this category. Other cameras have been neglected awards because of being late, so why not Canon?

dpr is in a tough position , they tend to tell the truth i n a review , but need to sugar coat final scoring system to stop possible customers from a instant turnoff,

, i respect the reviews and tend not to weight the metal alluded to in the final analysis too strongly .. carefully read , the review contains all the warnings and insights a careful purchaser needs.

dpr walks a narrow fence top where it concerns the needs of the consumer who use their reviews to inform a purchase , and the corporate world and advertisers and management who wish for a balance of interest to be maintained ... i think they mostly do a good job

they tell you the truth of this cameras 4 k , [and recommend other models from sony , fuji , olympus ,panny ] if thats your needs , the truth of lens selection in canon mirrorless, and the most important truth: that any modern ff \ apsc\ m 43 camera can produce excellent files as a stills camera.

WELLthat is a tough question, the sony will give you better quality for resolution m[24 vs 16mp] & at higher isos the sony will look cleaner noise wise the sony kit lens starts wider [24 equiv vs 28] but not as long [75 equiv vs 84]the sony ships with a pancake and the iq is soso it is said.i own the olympus 14 42 a good kit lens i think the a6000 is good but the few times ive used it it seemed a little too plastic. i like the build of oly better i like the oly lenses better

but if you are using it mostly web computer use , either will be outstandingyou really gotta print large or shoot alot at night to see the sony look better

the iq is close both can make superb photos but at the extremes the sony will pull ahead ... but the oly will stabilize any lens even old slr adapted lenses 5 axis and olympus stabilization is the best in the world they both cost about the same at b&h , a great value boththat`s off the top of my head .... anyone else have a thought?

i love m 43 and own the em5 mark1, gm5 ep5 and penf , i love olympus stabilization , what can be achieved with adapted telephotos like a canon fd w200 mm 2.8 which gives a 400 mm fov you can shoot at 1\30 even 1\15 sec and get real sharpness often

PhozoKozmos ROFL! I love your posts! They are a real weapon of mass destruction for photo forums. Can you please move your focus from Canon threads to Sony threads? Canon underdogs are already gone to ground here at DPR, they don't need a final kick in their kidneys. But Sony users really deserve your attention ;-)

right nowevery so-called "mirrorless" (mirrorless-only) camera body mfrthat also make "for-mirrorless-only-body" lenses (OEM lenses)CANNOT offer interchangeable SPECIALIZED mountsto work between their OWN Bodies and OWN OEM lenses

this "orphans" all OEM Lenses with no ability to work specialized interfacesbecause there is NO ROOM for it in between OEM LENS+OEM BODY

I am a beginner and looking for a mirrorless camera which provides outstanding image quality. I'm not really into Vlogging so a decent video quality (1080p) is enough for me. Will this camera be a better option for me? OR should I just purchase Sony A6000? The price is much better on A6000, however, would it be a better choice? Appreciate your opinion :)

Sony has the best image quality compare to all of the cameras you mentioned? Looks like A6000 seems to be the best choice here. I was thinking that maybe Sony 35mm F1.8 could be the next lens to purchase after I stop exploring the kit lens.

Limited lens choice? I can use M lenses, EF lenses and EF-S lenses plus third party lenses. I can personally use my 10-18 one moment then switch to my Sigma 150-600 the next. I can tell you that all my EF-S lenses balance really well with both my M50 and my M5. The adapter is not a problem in fact it is an advantage.

Only if Canon M had the same mount construction as sigma Quadro Mirrorless cameras, it's Mirrorless but they made it so they can use their lenses with the DSLR and Mirrorless without the purchase of an extra mount in between.

Maybe I have the wrong idea on 'Native' but what would be the purpose of buy the EF-M lenses in the first place if that's the case?

I'm not talking about using other lenses but for the canon to keep development on their lenses.

Canon is ultimately the only OPEN FLEXIBLE INTERCHANGEABLE MOUNT camera system where its own OEM "mirrorless" camera bodies can ALREADY work with all of its own OEM lenses, AND include specialized ICMs:

Phitokozmos believes people are so clever that they will put a heavy, bulky lens on a small mirrorrless with an expensive adapter and be happy with it. Let s be serious....It’ is like putting a one kilo sigma lens on alpha 7

It's already hard to put a lens on a camera when you're switching out and about, and you're telling me using an adapter to switch out with the lens somehow better? I understand that the EF-M is more than capable of putting other lenses on but all I was just talking about it's just for them to make more lenses made for specifically that camera. NOT FOR THE SENSOR, but the mount WITHOUT an adapter.

OOOOOOR

make an adapter that is weather sealed that has a internal Graduated ND filter to keep stuff out the sensor and more capabilities with EF and 3rd party lenses.

All of it lacks weather sealing, it would be an addition to make an adapter that has a built in Graduated ND filter or a focal reducer for the EF(full frame lens) to get better light information and correct cropping.

It's all just suggestions on how it could be better, I never said it was bad for what they already have. The funny thing is, like it or not, it's going to happen just give Canon sometime we just don't know when it's going to happen.

plenty buying an APSC EOS M, will never consider an APSC EF-M "bridge" lensbecause there are plenty of EF lenses with better opticseven though EFM lenses are quite excellent (better than most Sony APSC E Lenses)

I would consider it depending on your needs. I played with the M50 at Best Buy and was duly impressed. I have the M5 and thought the M50 felt a lot like it. I am now waiting for Canon to come out with the mark 2 version of the M5.

I realize looks aren't the #1 reason people buy cameras, but Canon's mirrorless cams look like they just didn't know what to do to make a mirrorless camera and they come out with this crap. Sony and FujiFilm make great looking and full featured mirrorless cameras. Sad that Canon knows how to make a nice DSLR camera body but their mirrorless is a dealbreaker. You can keep this poop Canon.

The reason it's not "sexy" is the rounding of all edges. The M50 has a classic SLR design, just with rounding of all the hard lines for comfort. While retaining hard lines gives a more retro look, especially with a silver trim. Canon even rounded the EVF hump.

Actually, I ran from 5D to M43rds. Among my lenses is a 7-14mm and a 14-140mm, giving a range equiv. to 14mm...280mm. I can fit that with my camera into the old 5D camera bag. It is even better for portraits, since its AF nails the eyelashes each time while the 5D did the nose tip focus trick.

Funny, I owned a Fujifilm X-E1 mirrorless, I then rented a Nikon D610 and wound up just buying a Canon 1DS Mark 3, and couldn't be happier! Wonderful colors straight out of the camera and no sensor artifacts to process over.

I have the M5 and I am waiting for an upgrade. In someways this little camera is an upgrade but I will wait for the real thing. As far as video goes, I have owned many Canons that shoot video and I have never used it. If I want video, I use a video camera made for that purpose. Bab

Me too though so far the camera is doing all that I ask of it. 1080p is good enough for me for the occasional clip. 4K would just eat up more storage space. Only thing on the M50 I admire is the easy image transport to a smartphone.

I am curious if this is one of the more polarizing cameras in a while. I am experienced enough to decide if a camera will be a good tool for me or not. That being said I still look to these reviews to point out things I might not know and give objective feedback on core operational performance.

I can’t wait to see DPReviews new scoring system. I do hope it separates video and stills. I am not sure a combined score would really mean much considering the wide variety of implementation by manufacturers, and wide variety of uses cases by owners.

About 10 of these listed APS-C Sony lenses are the same 18-something zoom. If we compare lens systems on real-world/use basis (not absolute lens number) you'll just find that:

An M5 is an a6300 rival for example, both hovering around 900$. Glass wise you get a wide, general, tele zooms and a portrait prime, for 900-ish vs 1500-ish (at lower optical quality). Sony's way due for a cheap WA, high IQ kit lens and high IQ tele, while Canon's way due for some faster primes.

Covering the key basics of high performance 10-250mm is a vastly higher priority than fast primes, especially if you have an in-brand workaround!

If I were objectively comparing the superiority of one lens system over the other, I'd make it clear Sony while has native fast primes without adapters, the Canon line has the basics covered better, in price and performance, making it the winner for most potential users.

@Ebrahim Saadawi"About 10 of these listed APS-C Sony lenses are the same 18-something zoom. "

The only ones that share anything in common are the 16-50 and 18-55 (standard kit lenses; 16-50 is Power Zoom and pancake) and the 18-200 and 18-200 LE (with LE basically being v2.0). The 18-70 is Zeiss, the 18-105 PZ (constant F/4) and 18-200 PZ are Power Zooms (electronic zoom) for video, and the 18-110 F/4 is a high end cinema lens. The newly released 18-135 is a dedicated photo lens with exceptional IQ, something that was missing in the longer zoom range. It's also become the step-up kit lens from the 16-50. And the 10-18 is everyone's go-to UWA lens. No real issues, excellent AF and stabilization for video gimbal work, and if you remove the rear baffle, it can even be used on FF!

Pricing does not determine rivalry. Otherwise the 6D II would be competitive with the A7 III. In reality, it's barely competitive against the original 6D from half a decade ago.

"We didn't find the M50 to be well-suited as a camera for weddings & events, sports & wildlife, action & adventure or portraiture"

This....is odd. Portraits are probably the one thing most any camera can shoot, because portraits can vary so widely in style. As well, the 22/f2 can take some FANTASTIC portraits and the bokeh quality is very very good.

Add in the eye focus assist (regardless if it is not as advanced as sony), and you have all the tools you need for portraiture. The flippy screen will even get you angles i cannot on my 5d3.

And for the love of all tjat's holy, the adapter for EF lenses is a BONUS, no matter how much people want to cry about the small rabge of lenses. Stick a 35 or a 50 on it and you're on your way to portrait city.

I personally don't think that saying is enough to justify the statement for this camera. Portraits barely need any special functions at all, so nope, still dont agree.

The only cameras that truly have issues with portraits is bodies that have physical limitations or focus issues - like the 6d/6d2 - because the focus points are too far in the middle. Of, don't have certain glass available (/this camera does).

So yeah...If I can take years worth of portraits with an M1, then there's no reason at all that this camera wouldn't be good for that. That just doen't make much sense. If it becomes a 'compared to..' context, then of course, make the case like that.

EDWARD ARTISTE but if photographers have shot portraits for so many years with cameras like the 6D, how can you say they have issues?

Well, it's simple.. Because today's technology has evolved, so those cameras are not well suited in today's market. Just like this M50. Has eye-af but not in AFC. You can put some lenses, but doesn't have many choices without an adapter. The sensor is also a limitation on top of that.

So yeah, not really well suited for portraits. Doesn't mean you can't take any, but it's not the best tool for the job. I don't know any portrait photographer that would choose the m50 as a main camera.

I stopped at that line too for a bit. How can an APS-C Canon camera (JPEGs/Raws) with extremely accurate AF system, very sharp HQ 24mp, and an endless choice of portrait lenses, not be suited for portraiture?

You can say all panny/olympus are (not) less suitable for portraits (smaller 16/20mp chips), and Sony (Universally known less pleasing skin, but a new Canon?

@srados, there is a big difference between not being able and not being well suited.

I'm a fashion and portrait photographer and I didn't upgraded to a 6D or 5D when I had canon lenses because of all the focus issues. A DSLR with limited focus points all in the center is not the best tool for the job when you have cameras that can detect and focus on an eye up to the corner of the frame.

from the past 10 years have been struggling with DSLRs AF. It's hard to do freaking still Portraits with a 1DX/7DII 65 AF point system or Nikon's D500/D5 150+ point 3D-matrix system? Come on that's ridiculous. They NAIL portraiture even with 1.2/1.4 glass.

Like 90% nail (esp. Nikon's which have amazing face detection and closest eye priority). An on-sensor AF system with eye-tracking would be like 99%, great, but not enough improvement to lose the optical viewfinder and the consequences that come with that (having the sensor up and running all the time vs asleep until exposure).

Thousands of photos on one charge with cheap 10fps mechanical shutter DSLRs that have a DPAF mirrorless mode AF (that you love) is a solution simply not offered by ML.

Mirrorless cameras already have thousands of photos on one charge. There are no consequences of having the sensor up and running all the time.

Try what I do with a DSLR. Shoot for e-com all day without having to move the camera on the tripod. My mirrorless tracks the face of the model over the entire frame. Doesn't matter where they are or how much they move, the camera finds the face. With a dslr you either have slow AF in LV or you don't have AF that covers almost 100% of the area with intelligence to find a face.

DSRL still don't offer what ML offer. Maybe one day they will, but right now they don't. The AF is still limited in LV, the AF coverage is small in OVF, they are bigger and heavier and the battery performance in LV is really bad.

Sorry, but for some professional photography DSLR are worst than mirrorless.

On of the world's fastest AF. Google Dual-pixel Autofocus. However, I do get the point for all DSLRs from other brands, their Liveview ("mirrorless mode") is terrible. Especially Nikon, even on their state-of-the-art D850. While Canon has an extremely competent LV operation, the SL2 turns into an actual ML once flipped to LV, and it's getting better with every etiration (like the m50 adding more coverage and single-shot Eye-AF)

Meaning Canon will end up soon with DSLRs that have highly competent & competitive mirrorless modes once LV is entered.

Wow this really got into the woods, I was trying to make simpler point.

I retired my 6d from portrait work, simply because the stone age AF, with points that dont hit the thirds of the frame. So it PHYSICALLY limits how I can compose my images. On the M1 (you know, that terrible camera, tee hee)? Nails it, I can even zoom in 10x on the fly to make sure the exact spot i want is in focus.

On the other hand, the 6d in the studio, much like most cameras, will work great, because of deep dof and nice big lights. So its lame to insult our intelligence, some of us are actually experienced with this gear they speaketh of.

In summary, if you're going to go compare the last gen of dslrs to a mirrorless with advanced AF functions, then captain obvious (hello!) would say they will have some advantages. But to state other cameras are no longer good for that kind of shooting...oh please. Even my xsi and t2i can.

So that whole not useful for portraits is a load of brown stuff, point plank.

Indeed. The 6d was my main example because I simply could not use it primarily because of those poor af points and spread. Otherwise the camera can create some beautiful images, well, if you're a fan of focus/recompose (bad with f2.8) or having subject directly in the middle of the frame.

Thankfully, Canon for its part is past the point where they will purposely make a terrible Af system just to protect 5d sales.

Not really. Using the M1, as in 'native' live view, is a completely different experience. I don't see how you can equate the two, because I think one would have to be crazy to use live view for portraits with older canons with no touch screen. It is incredibly slow and brutal.

I'm not sure how using only the center point is viable in many a situation, and at 1.4...yikes...but to each is own.

How is it different from the M1? I saw them almost identical. The 6D has a lovely liveview experience! One that Nikon and Sony are only starting to catch up to (shooting video makes you evaluate LV extensively) and it's only the contrast-detection AF system that's slow. Otherwise it's pretty clear, fast, grear panel, best 10x punch-in in the business, live exposure and WB (even newest mirrorless cameras that rely on LV don't give accurate exposure now!).

With the 5DIV I still really use the buttons to scroll to the subject and punch in to 10x when I REALLY want accurate focusing. I do it manually too. Or press AF-on whilst in 10x punch in view.

One of the custodians at my elementary school many moons ago would momentarily freeze moping the floors, turn his gargoyle looking face toward us and invariably declare in a lowered crackling voice: What about mmme? What about mmmmy feelings?

Practically, When I shoot indoor ceremony and weddings (not a professional though), I find myself shooting over ISO 640 most of the time. F4 - 5.6 is the sweet spot Dof for 40mm to 135 to keep things in focus. I use wider aperture only when shooting couple or solo portraits with shallow dof. So, like Mailman.. said, I too doesn't bother base ISO DR / noise performance as it's of no relevance to what I do practically. Performance in ISO 400 - ISO 6400 is what's important to me.

"What would you say a about a camera that recognizes subjects:Focal length and focus distance that matches a head portrait? - Set F=4 to get nose to ear (SUPERFICIALLY*) sharp, balance EV for the main subject."

*when aperture is small enough, dof is high enoughsuch that SUPERFICIALLY the nose-to-ear is "focused enough"or beyond (plus and minus outstretched arms reach)

the ACTUAL reality of "exactly absolutely sharp" exists ONLY on the actual focal plane (which a DEEP DOF renders impossible to locate exactly)

many digicams have resorted to this "almost focus free" phenomena, as an inherent benefit of deep dof of narrow apertures (more common as it gets brighter with lights)

cameras with "recognition" algorithms merely take advantage of inherent deep dof, by "following" specific patterns, like "faces", and "what bright spot might be an eye" (specular highlights) ... and display "indicators" of it tracking those patterns

Sony suffers this, especially even in their new A7III/A9/A7RIIIthey have been using this method in their cybershots for a long timenothing has changed

it's worse when it's low lightand shining extra light on a subject in a dark placethe AF can confuse specular highlights for "white of eyes"exacerbated by shallower dofif aperture diameters happen to be especially wide in such dark places

in very bright conditionsnarrower apertures mean deeper dof, which typically brings back "looks focused enough" even when misfocused

"focus distance at infinity and bright upper part of the image?So, this is a landscape (infinity scene mode), extend SS to max wrt to FL to maximise sharpness(good old: minimize handheld motion blur algorithm)and balance EV for lower half of image.(good old AE mode for beginners □ AUTO!)And adjustment for many other identifiable situations."

yup. lots of digicams have "scene (scenario) specific" modesbut some require use of complicated menus, to set up for: Sony!:)

"It's worth noting that the widest lens for the M50 is the 11-22mm F4-5.6, which is equivalent to 18-35mm, which may be a bit too telephoto for some landscape photographers. "

I'm not certain that I understand what the reviewer is saying here. This zoom lens' range is not telephoto as I understand the term. What I expect the reviewer is trying to say is that the zoom range, limited as it is, won't lend itself well to scenes where the photographer would want a wider angle of view than the 11mm widest angle will permit.

Telephoto here was just used as an expression for "longer", in some slight humour. (18mm is too telephoto). It's a web article not an academic thesis.I can probably pick up at leaat a few more words/expressions that are not technically accurate

And thats a terrible way to use the term telephoto, whether intended or not. Ah well, at least no kittens were shot and then bled out. That would be too 'telephoto' for me to bear, considering we are discussing cameras.

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